This invention relates to a golf putter and especially a new manner of attaching the putter head to the shaft.
The put requires enormous accuracy. It is evident that the shape and design of the putter does have a major influence on the performance when putting.
Many different designs and shapes have been suggested in order to improve accuracy. Originally, a putter head had a blade shape with the shaft attached thereto at the heel part, a design which goes back to the nineteenth century. In the meantime many different designs and shapes have been tried, e.g. a semi-spherical shaped putter head, the use of balancing weights, attachment of the shaft at the toe part of the putter head, attachment of the shaft near the centre of gravity of the shaft, etc. None of these differing designs have revolutionised the golf sport, but the different designs are used in a large variety among the players.
In contrast to other strokes the movement of the putter is relatively slow. Accordingly the player can be assisted by a sight line on the putter head in order to obtain extra accuracy of the movement when striking the golf ball. However, known putters do not provide means for a sight line which comes near the feeling of accuracy as with a cue when playing pool.
Furthermore, many putters of today have an attachment of the shaft to the putter head which is totally balanced when keeping the hitting face of the putter head upwards. This means that there will be no momentum in the shaft when moving it in a direction that is perpendicular to the hitting face. Accordingly, the player will not notice any torque of the shaft during the movement of the putter head if the putter head is rotated during the striking movement. Consequently, the player does not sense by means of a force of torque of the shaft if the putter head is moved out of the extension of the sight line when putting.
Finally, it appears that none of the existing putters does give the player a distinct feed back when hitting the golf ball in an exactly accurate manner.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,477 there is known a putter which at first sight might appear to eliminate some of the conventional disadvantages mentioned above. Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,477 presents a putter comprising a shaft, a putter head with a hitting face and means for attaching the putter head to the shaft, said shaft having an imaginary centre line positioned substantially coaxial within said shaft, and, wherein said means comprises an attachment device having at least one rod shaped part having an imaginary centre line, wherein said rod shaped part is attached to the putter head so as to have said imaginary centre line extending substantially perpendicular in relation to the hitting surface of the putter head. However, the rod shaped part as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,477 is merely intended for increasing the golfers peripheral vision in the direction of the desired path of golf ball travel by providing for a location of the golf ball which is closer to the golfers front foot than is normally the case. Accordingly, the rod shaped part of U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,477 is not intended for providing a sight line, but is positioned off-centred in relation to spot for hitting the golf ball. Nor does the attachment according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,477 indicate any distinctive torque to the player if the putter head is rotating during the striking movement. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,477 does not provide any means for giving the player a distinct feed back when hitting the golf ball in an exactly accurate manner.
It is the object of the invention to provide a putter which eliminates or at least minimises the disadvantages mentioned above. This is achieved by a putter, comprising a shaft, a putter head with a hitting face and means for attaching the putter head to the shaft, said shaft having an imaginary centre line positioned substantially coaxially within said shaft, said putter head having a centre of gravity, said means comprising an attachment device having at least one rod shaped part with an imaginary centre line, said rod shaped part being attached to the putter head so as to have said centre line extending substantially perpendicular in relation to the hitting surface of the putter head, characterised in that said rod shaped part extends all the way through said putter head to form a part of the hitting surface, and that said part of the rod which forms a part of the hitting surface is positioned within the hitting surface in such a manner that the rod shaped part forms an extended sight line for extra accuracy of the movement when hitting a golf ball with the putter head.
The above mentioned design provides a putter which can provide an extended and distinct sight line in order to facilitate a movement along a straight line of the putter head. The invention will give the player a similar feeling of accuracy as a pool player since he will actually have the possibility to see a rod shaped part move along the sight line giving a feeling of extra accuracy.
Accordingly the invention provides a new kind of a putter having the following advantages:
improved and extended sight line;
favourable feed back when hitting the ball accurately; and
an attachment t hat may eliminate twisting of the shaft and the putter head during the stroke.
According to further aspects of the invention:
said front part of the rod shaped part is positioned to intersect a vertical centre line of the hitting surface, preferably substantially centered in relation to said centre line;
said attachment device is L-shaped and comprises a further rod shaped part, a neck portion, which preferably extends substantially coaxially with said centre line of said shaft;
said putter head is arranged with a rearwardly extending protrusion, preferably forming an integral part thereof, for attachment of the shaft thereto;
there is arranged a sight line on top of the putter head, extending at least a portion between the point of attachment of the shaft and the upper edge of the hitting surface;
said imaginary centre line of the shaft and a normal of the hitting face forms an angle xcex1 which is less than 90xc2x0 in a plane that is parallel to the centre line of the shaft and perpendicular to the hitting face;
the angle xcex1 is such that the top end of the shaft is positioned substantially in the same plane as the hitting face;
the putter head is pivotally adjustably attached to said rod, preferably by means of a screw which may be tightened in a threaded bore of the head;
said imaginary centre line of the rod shaped part is positioned within a distance from the lower part of the putter head that is between 15 and 25 mm, preferably about 20 mm, and preferably in that the hitting face has a plane that opens up about 2-5xc2x0 in relation to a vertical plane;
the shaft and the head are attached to each other in such a manner that a point of intersecting of said centre line and a normal extending inwardly of said hitting face is positioned at a longer distance from said hitting face than the centre of gravity x, so as to form a minimum distance L between said centre line and said centre of gravity x;
said minimum distance L exceeds 10 mm and is less than 100 mm, preferably exceeds 20 mm, and more preferred exceeds 30 mm, or even more preferred exceeds 40 mm;
said rod shaped part has a contrasting colour in relation to the upwardly facing surface (1C) of the rearwardly extending protrusion (1A).